Improvement in umbrellas



Nrrnn STATES Ferron.

,PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRLLAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,227, dated September25, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DAMEREL, of Brooklyn, in the count-y ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Umbrellas and Parasols; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable thoseskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part ot' this specification, in which-Figure 1 represents, partly in section, a skeleton or frame of anumbrella which contains my improvement. Fig. 2 is a cross -sectionrepresenting` the stretchers extended, as when an umbrella is raised.Fig. 3 is an elevation of part of the skeleton or frame, showing it whenthe stretchers are raised to their highest place on the handle. Fig. itis a detailed view of a device applied to the stretchers.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

The object of this improvement in umbrellas and parasols is to constructthem so that when the runners are brought down on the sticks in shuttingthe article they shall remain in such closed condition without the usualcatch or hook placed on the lower part of the stick or handle; and itconsistsin placing an elast-ic band or other suitable spring about thestretchers near to their places of connection with the runners, and alsoin means for securing such band or spring in place.

Among other advantages of this invention may be mentioned that theruimer need not be slotted, as when a catch is used to hold it down nearthe end of the stick to keep the umbrella closed, also, that the stickwill be left unimpaired in strength, because there will not be any slotmade in it as in cases where it must receive the ordinary catch.

A designates the stick or handle of an umbrella. O are the ribs to whichthe covering is to be attached. The letters D designate some of thestretchers, which are pivoted or connected at one end to the ribs, andat their other ends to the ange of the runner B, in any suitable manner.

In umbrellas and parasols made in the usual way, the runner B is helddown upon the stick A, so as to prevent the stretchers and ribs frombeing expanded by means of a springcatch secured in a slot made for itin the stick, and Awhich projects above the edge of the slot far enoughto en gage a slot in the runner.

It is evident that it' the slot in the runner is not in line with thecatch they will not articulate, and consequently the umbrella is atliberty to tly open, the weight of the covering and ribs and stretcherssufiicing `to eX- pand it, if the stick is held upright, as also willany accidental engagement ot' the covering or ot' the ends ot any of theribs with a passing obstacle. Furthermore, in the case of umbrellas andparasols made so that the parts which expand are free to have rotarymotion on the stick, it is evident that before the runner can be engagedby the catch its slot must be brought into line with it. By my inventionthis difliculty also is obviated.

My object is to keep the ribs andstretchers close up to the stick whenthe umbrella is shut, and to insure that they shall remain in thatcondition until they are spread out by design; and my invention isapplicable to umbrellas and parasols which have their stretchers andframes loose on their sticks, so as to be capable of rotating thereon,as well as to those whose frames are not capable of such rotary motion.I dispense with the usual springcatch on the lower part of the stick,and consequently it is not necessary to make a slot in the stick toreceive such a catch, and the stick is therefore left whole and withunimpaired strength. The usual slot in the runner is also dispensedwith, and consequently the ruimer is left whole and unweakened.

In order to hold the frame of an umbrella or parasol in a closedcondition, so that its own weight when held erect, or an accidentalcollision or engagement with a passing object, shall not spread it open,I have invented the following method and devices I surround thestretchers above the places of their connection with the runner with anelastic band, E, of rubber or its equivalent, and I keep such band orequivalent appliance in place by means of a rest, F, of metal or othersuitable material. The elastic band or spring in this example is simplyplaced around the stretchers, and its strength is to be such as t'o becapable of holding the frame snugly and conipactly when the umbrella orparasol is held upright, and also of `resisting any slight or casualtendency from any passing object or obstruction to draw it open. rlherest or support F is, in this example, struck up from a narrow metallic.plate7 in which, While in its iiat state, two slots g g, are eut in linewith each other, but separated by the solid part It, which is left inthe middle of the blank. The blank'is then struck up to the form shownin Fig. et 5 or the slots g g may be made therein at the same time theblank is swaged or afterward.

Instead of making the rest F in the mauner just described, it may becast, or may be made of hard rubber or other suitable substance. Therests F, one for each alternate stretcher D, are placed on thestretchers before the latter are attached to the runner, by passing theends ot' the stretchers through the slots g g, thereby bringing thesolid part h on the insideof the stretchers, and the solid'euds Mentheoutside. The height ot' the restthat is to say, the distance between theplane of its back and the plane of its ilat ends is to be greater thanthe thickness of the stretchers, so that when the rests are in placethere will be room for the elastic band E between the ends z' and theouter side of the stretchers, as seenin Figs. 1 and 3.

When the umbrella or parasol is expanded the band E is stretched, asseen in Figs. 2 and 3, but it has no tendency to leave its place in therests. When the umbrella is closed or shut thel band assists themovement by con neeted from the stretchers, and that therefore they canbe opened and closed without hinderance from the band other than fromits tension, and also that the band is placed loosely between the upperends, i, of the rests and the face of the stretehers, and is thereforefree to operate without restraint.

The rests F operate somewhat after the manner of hooks, and instead ofmaking them independently of the` stretehers and placing them looselythereon, as here shown, they may be formed on the stretehers, so as toform part thereof.

,What I claim as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. .An umbrella held closed or shut by means of an elastic band placedaround the stretchers of their frames, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. Rests F, as arranged, forholdin g the ban d or spring E in its properplace on or over the stretehers of an umbrella in all conditions,

whether closed or extended, substantially as described.

WILLIAM DAMEREL. fitnesses M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. L. ToPLrFF.

